Dramatic play, imaginative play, creative play, role-playing, make-believe or just plain pretending…is a foundation of childhood development. Giving children endless opportunities to imitate what they often see adults doing allows children to imagine themselves in new roles and act different scenarios. The Excellerations® 14" Dolls with Swaddle Blanket & Removeable Diapers Set of 4 and Excellerations® Yummy Plush Pretend Play Food - 25 Pieces #gifted are great staples for a dramatic play.
Since we know children learn best through play and are continuously exploring and experimenting –sets such as these allow children to perform different roles and test their own creativity. They learn many things through trial and error, and what better way to try out various scenarios and situations than through pretending they are in them.
In dramatic play, role playing helps children develop ideas about how the world works in so many ways. It is a type of play that every child needs to experience as it has so many benefits! It has profound positive effects on a child’s development. It fosters imagination, let’s a child explore themselves and the world around them, strengthens relationships, improves language/communication, builds empathy, fine/gross motor skills, life skills, and process feelings to help their social emotional development.
A child’s imagination is one of their greatest tools and this type of play of vital in their development. When they pretend to cook fruits, vegetables, poultry and assorted other healthy foods or changing and swaddling their babies, they are acting out actions, which they have watched their parents or caregivers do with them. Pretending to care for a doll or cook does more than just expand vocabulary, it provides opportunity practicing life skills, helps them work through strong emotions, and empowers them to feel capable all through the power of play.
